The Joining
by ZiggyChaos
Summary: AU, in which The Doctor manages to save Donna at the end of "Journey's End" and they are joined by Earth and Gallifreyan rituals.


**The Joining**

Ziggy

The Doctor felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched his bride walk down the makeshift aisle. Jack Harkness stood at his side on the grass, acting for all the world as if it had been him who had match-made his alien friend with Donna Noble. Wilf proudly accompanied his granddaughter down the aisle. A small handful of friends, most those Davros had dubbed the Doctor's "Children of Time," sat in the folding chairs set-up a tree-shaded area of a local Chiswick park. Open, yet intimate, much to the Time Lord's satisfaction.

The Gallifreyan, dressed in his tuxedo, felt a slight nudge at his elbow. He turned his head to regard Jack.

"Don't forget to breathe, Doctor," the immortal whispered.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

Jack winked almost conspiratorially, flashing a grin.

The Doctor returned his attention before him. As he watched the simple procession coming towards him, the Doctor thought back to the events that occurred shortly after the return of the Earth after the Daleks' failed reality bomb scheme...

Wilf had caught up to the Doctor just as he'd opened the front door in preparation to leaving the Noble family behind forever. The Time Lord looked out into the rain with a heavy sigh. "You'll have plenty of this for awhile. Atmospheric disturbance from the Earth being moved."

"You love her, don't you?"

The taller man shot him an almost haunted look at the unexpected question. "What?"

"You love her," Wilf stated with conviction, quickly adding, "Don't deny it, I can tell."

Pain flashed through the brown eyes before the Time Lord turned back to the storm outside. "Doesn't matter now," he stated sadly, softly.

Donna's grandfather looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead asked, "Doctor, how can you tell us not to tell Donna anything, but there you stood and she didn't have any reaction to you?"

The Doctor looked at the man, his eyes flashing almost angrily. "She doesn't remember me--"

"I know that, sir," Wilf interrupted, "but if _telling _her could cause problems, how come you being here in person hasn't affected her?"

The Doctor swiveled his head to regard him. He stared at Wilf for so long, the older Earth man wondered if he had insulted his alien friend. He certainly didn't want the Gallifreyan to leave in anger, as he'd suffered enough.

Grinning hugely, the Time Lord suddenly gripped Wilf by both shoulders. "Wilfred Mott, you're brilliant!" With that, he dashed out into the downpour to the TARDIS sitting across the road. A quick rattle with the key and he disappeared into the interior.

Wilf stood in the doorway watching the closed door of the blue box through the heavy rain. He didn't know how much time had passed when the tall alien finally emerged, brown eyes serious, but bright. The Doctor raced across street and into the house, passing Wilf who had wisely backed out of the way. Wilf quickly closed the door, then hurried to follow, finding the Doctor in the kitchen with his fingers on Donna's temples. The alien's eyes were closed; Donna appeared frozen to the spot. Wilf could only imagine what the Gallifreyan had done to get her to agree to what he was doing and so quickly.

Sylvia entered the kitchen then. Before she could interrupt what Wilf knew was a delicate situation, he grabbed his daughter by the arm and pulled her aside.

"What's he doing?" she demanded.

"Helping," Wilf told her quickly. "Now, hush."

Surprisingly, Sylvia did just that. Together, they watched and waited. After what seemed a very long time, the Doctor finally opened his eyes. He stepped back, wobbling a bit. Wilf moved to steady him while Sylvia continued to stare at her daughter. The Doctor gave his friend a quick smile then reached out, clicking his fingers in front of Donna's face.

The redhead's eyes opened. It was easy to see the complete change in her attitude. "Doctor?" she asked. She reached up to slowly touch her temples, then met the Time Lord's gaze. "Wha--? How?"

"Ah, just a little ingenuity on your granddad's part," he answered, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I ran a theory past the TARDIS and she helped me figure out how to restore your regular memories while removing the Time Lord consciousness."

"You've removed it?" Wilf asked.

"Oh, yes!" The Time Lord grinned happily, not taking his brown eyes off Donna. "It took a little finagling, but there will be no consequences of her housing a Time Lord consciousness. Of course, she won't have any of my memories either, which, when you think about it, is actually a good--"

"Why didn't you think of this before?" Sylvia interrupted angrily.

"Mum, it doesn't matter," Donna bristled at her mother's accusation.

"It does, sweetheart. We could have been spared all this."

"There's never been a human-Time Lord metacrisis, Mum," Donna defended. "He can't think of everything all the time! You leave him alone."

"And why should I do that?"

Donna's answer was swift, confident. "Because I love him!"

Sylvia just stared disbelievingly at her daughter as grins spread on the faces of both the Doctor and Wilf. The Doctor stepped forward and gave Donna a big hug. As they separated, Donna placed her hands on the Gallifreyan's cheeks and kissed him. He returned the kiss wholeheartedly.

Wilf whistled happily.

After Sylvia had gotten used to the idea of her only daughter falling in love with an alien, she had insisted on a big wedding. Donna had, to the Doctor's delight, told her mother absolutely under no circumstances did she want the spectacle associated with such an event. The ginger used the excuse of the fiasco with Lance to drive home her point, but the Gallifreyan knew her travels across space and time had taught her the importance of the little things.

And she was doing it for him, which made him love her all the more.

The Doctor glanced at the small gathering of guests. Donna's mum, of course. He recognized Mickey Smith, Ianto Jones, and Gwen Cooper. The big man next to Gwen must be her husband, Rhys. Martha Jones gave him an encouraging smile, which he returned. Then there was Sarah Jane Smith, her son Luke and, whirring happily next to his mistress and young master, K-9. The TARDIS, of course, sat off to one side. (It wouldn't do not to include his oldest friend.)

Then his gaze was drawn to his bride and he forgot all else. Donna looked resplendent in a long, smooth, ivory dress (nothing fancy like the one she'd worn for Lance), her head not covered by hat nor veil, and carrying a bouquet of exotic flowers she'd picked in one of the TARDIS's gardens (with the TARDIS's approval). Her own smile seemed to brighten up the air around her, making both of the Doctor's hearts beat wildly. Stopping beside her fiancé, Donna turned to Wilf with a happy smile. The older man gave his granddaughter a gentle kiss on the cheek before giving her hand to the alien who would be his son-in-law in mere minutes.

"I know you'll take care of my girl, Doctor," Wilf said to the taller man before he moved to stand next to Sylvia.

The Doctor, a 903-year-old Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, repeated the simple marriage vows recited from the vicar to his British bride. He slipped the ring on her finger with a grin.

Donna positioned the ring on his finger and began the pledge. He kept his gaze on her, but as he listened, he found himself thinking, _Interesting,_ _I've faced situations and enemies from all parts and times of the universe, but speaking these words has me more nervous than I've ever been, even the few times I returned to Gallifrey to face my own people._

As if she heard his thoughts, Donna squeezed his hand reassuringly. He returned the show of affection with a small smile of appreciation. All doubt faded away then so he could state with confidence, "I do."

"You may kiss your bride," the vicar announced.

"Brilliant!" The Doctor placed his hands on Donna's cheeks, then drew her in for a long, deep kiss. Still holding hands, both grinning widely, the new couple turned to face their closest friends. Everybody applauded, then approached to offer their warmest congratulations.

After hugs were passed around, Jack elbowed the Doctor aside and gave the bride a kiss. Pulling back, he stepped over to give the Doctor a smack on the lips, to the amusement of those gathered around. The Gallifreyan gave his immortal friend another quick hug before once again grabbing Donna's hand and dragging her towards the TARDIS.

As they approached the timeship, the Doctor suddenly scooped his bride into his arms. Donna's arms automatically went around his neck. He gently kicked open the double doors and took her inside. He started to take her through the console room, when Donna stopped him. "The doors--"

"The old girl's got it covered," he stated, turning slightly. The double doors closed of what appeared to be their own accord. He looked at her. "See? She loves us being together!"

"So she does!" Donna gave him a quick kiss.

He flashed his mega-watt grin. "Yeah, she's brilliant."

"Just like her pilot."

"Absolutely." He carried her through the console room and into the hall. A wide door swung open a short way down the corridor, so the Doctor headed for it. Inside the room was a large, canopied bed. He took her over to the bed and gently dropped her onto the soft mattress.

Before he could push himself up, Donna grabbed him by the lapels and landed a deep kiss on his mouth. One hand holding the back of his head, her other hand quickly worked on loosening his bow tie.

Eyes wide, the Time Lord pulled back. "Don't brides usually want to slip into something more comfortable?"

Donna kicked off her shoes. "I thought you could help me do that," she purred, taking his hand and placing it on her bare leg under her wedding dress.

"Oh, yes!" He leaned over to kiss her on the lips again before trailing a line of fire across her jawline, down her neck and just above the low cut bodice of her silky dress. Donna moaned, arching her back. The Gallifreyan growled in response, feeling something primal ignite within him. Something he hadn't felt since before the Time Wars and didn't think he would ever allow himself to feel again.

It didn't take long for them to divest each other of their wedding attires, to begin a long night of passionate and heartfelt love-making.

The next morning when the Doctor awoke, he found Donna's head resting on his bare shoulder, a gentle hand on his chest. Smiling at the memory of the activities of the day and night before, he planted a kiss on her tousled ginger hair.

Donna shifted beneath him before raising her head to gaze at him. A smile graced her face as she pushed herself to give him a kiss. "Morning, Dr. John Smith," she murmured, using the name he'd utilized for the wedding ceremony.

"Morning yourself, Donna Noble Smith." He grinned at her. "Get dressed, sweetheart, there's something we need to do."

Donna raised her eyebrows questioningly. She waited a beat, then asked, "Aren't you going to tell me?"

The Doctor appeared to think it over, finally saying, "Nope."

"Okay, Martian boy." She gave him another long kiss before rolling off the bed and deliberately sashaying across the room.

The Time Lord watched her naked form disappear into the bathroom. Feeling himself getting aroused, he buried his face in the pillow in an attempt to control himself. Growling softly, he muttered, "I never thought I'd say this, but I know exactly how Jack feels!" With that, he flung aside the bedcovers and bounded across the room after his bride.

Later, the Doctor gripped his new bride's hand. "Come with me."

"What?" Donna asked, knowing she wouldn't be able to stall him any longer. Not that she wanted to as she was curious about what he insisted they "had" to do.

He held up his right index finger. "No talk, just come."

Smiling, the redhead allowed herself to be led down the corridor. One of the many doors slid open at their approach and the Doctor took her inside. A vast garden spread out before them; the green of plants and the various colors of flowers warred with each other throughout the room.

"Oh, how beautiful!" Donna breathed.

He grinned, but continued to lead her along, down a winding path surrounded by shrubs and flowers. A few minutes later, they approached a small waterfall. The Doctor took her to the patch of grass beside the pond the waterfall drained into. "Kneel," he told her, gesturing.

Donna did so, very curious now, but respectfully keeping her mouth closed. She got the feeling it was a very solemn moment and she wanted to honor it. She watched as her alien husband moved to face her, then also knelt in the soft grass.

He gave her a long, penetrating gaze before finally speaking. "We joined as one according to your customs. Are you willing to join as one according to the customs of my people?"

Donna felt the breath catch in the back of her throat. In all their wedding planning, not once had he brought up any kind of Gallifreyan or Time Lord ceremony. Still, she knew she trusted him implicitly. "I am."

"As you know, my people were one of the oldest in all the galaxies. Even so, this ceremony was not put to use except in extreme circumstances. Not because it's dangerous but because, well," he squinted his eyes as he thought of the right words, "Time Lords were rather private and actual love didn't come into the equation very often. Definitely not a love like ours."

Donna smiled. "All right."

"Donna Noble Smith of Earth, my wife, if you will allow, I'm going to reach into your mind and join us as one." He smiled as she agreed. "When we're done, you'll finally know my true name and I, yours."

"I have a true name?"

"Yes, it's buried deep inside your mind. Knowing someone's true name gives you a lot of power over that person, which is one reason this ceremony wasn't used very often. And why I chose to use the name 'Doctor.'"

"Won't this be risky for me to know your true name, considering how much-- trouble-- we manage to get into?"

"You'll know it, but you'll be able to keep it hidden deep in your mind." He smiled tenderly. "I appreciate your concern."

"Then I allow you to reach into my mind and join us as one," Donna stated.

The Doctor reached out, placing the tips of his long fingers on her temple. As his eyes closed, the smile slid from his face to be replaced by a look of concentration. Donna closed her own eyes as she felt the light touch of his mind connecting with hers.

Planets and star systems flashed through her mind: names, places, and things she figured she had briefly known when she had taken on the Time Lord consciousness. Events from his life also showed themselves to her and she realized he was allowing her to see into his mind even as he was inside hers. And then, he lowered his mental shields and she could literally see, as well as hear, his true name blazing across his inner being.

At the same time, she came to know her own true name, and it was then she knew that the Doctor's twin had been correct and theirs was a joined destiny meant to be.

She felt the Doctor's consciousness back out of hers. She opened her eyes as his fingers left her temples. His hands dropped wearily to his sides, his lids cracked open to reveal fatigued brown eyes. Slowly, he brought his gaze to match hers.

Donna's eyes welled as she noticed the tears on his face. Instinctively, she knew they were tears of happiness, that his loneliness was at an end for as long as she was with him.

Without a word, she lifted her hands up, palms facing him. He matched her movements. They touched hands, fingers twining. Leaning forward, they kissed.

They were now one.

12/27/09


End file.
